Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)

Exactly. In April 2007, prior to the general election, FÁS set up a working group to consider this area. It knew that problems had arisen but kept quiet about them. Here we are, 18 months later, with no new proposal. What is happening?

We all agree that county enterprise boards do excellent work but most of them have received no money since July. They create jobs and achieve value for money, yet they are not funded. We have met various organisations throughout the country and have found that the funding has dried up. Can we not give money to the people who create jobs?

We spoke previously about the necessity for local authorities to purchase land to provide low cost sites to people who want to expand or move their businesses and create new jobs. This week, however, several county councils have been instructed not to purchase land. They were told to cancel the deals, even though they had almost been completed, because all bets are off and there is no money to spend on land for sites. We will cut off the opportunity to create jobs because we will have pulled the plug on local authorities and enterprise boards. It is an absolute disgrace.

The rules on enterprise boards are too restrictive. They were acceptable when the economy was growing but the environment has changed. We have repeatedly asked the Government to investigate whether the rules can be changed so that enterprise boards can create employment when they finally receive money.

The motion refers to the school building programme. Lifelong learning starts with child care and primary school. We are failing young people because they are not being given the opportunity to engage properly with education. A proposal that leads to investment in schools would be a major help in winning them over at an early stage in their lives. It would also solve two problems at the same time. This proposal has received widespread attention over the past seven months but it was not mentioned in the Tánaiste's speech. She could at least have told us it cannot be done. I ask for some reaction to what we suggest. If we are wrong, we will put our hands up, but we should at least be told something.

The proposed insulation scheme deserves consideration. Again, however, there was no comment from the Tánaiste. In recent months I have regularly spoken about activation schemes for getting people back to work. Jobs initiatives and community employment schemes do not cater for the newly unemployed. We need solutions that put newly unemployed, highly skilled and motivated people back to work as soon as possible because the social and financial costs of keeping them at home are very high. However, the Tánaiste made no mention of this. We were told that the budget may include a provision in this area but we could have discussed that tonight. Is it not a good idea to match up work that needs to be done in the community with people who have the necessary skills? There is plenty of work to be done on local authority housing, schools, playgrounds and parks. Imagination is needed in matching those with skills to the work that is needed in terms of maintenance and construction or running voluntary organisations and community centres.

We must invest in incubator units. The Government has received 56 applications for these units but I am confident the money is not available for all of them. Can we find the money to guarantee them? We also must find some way of supporting small and medium enterprises because these will create jobs in the future. Can we introduce tax deferrals, reduce Government charges or offer a three-year tax break to new businesses? We could establish a grant system to create new jobs. Does the Government have other ideas for creating jobs? What new functions have been given to organisations with responsibilities on behalf of the Government for job creation? I do not believe the Tánaiste has given them guidance in this regard. We have to generate jobs.

In regard to red tape, we speak about competitiveness but our businesses are at a disadvantage because of the cost of energy, wages, insurance and council charges. These issues must be addressed but the Tánaiste ignored them tonight. I do not seek major change. Simple measures can make a big difference in terms of allowing businesses to compete on the export market and create new jobs. Too many businesses fall through the gap in terms of receiving aid. It is the Government's job to help them because we must get people back to work. We cannot afford sustained increases in live register numbers.

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